Nazi Organizer Hit With Felony Perjury Charge

Jason Kessler, the organizer of the Unite the Right rally, has been indicted by an Albemarle County grand jury on a felony perjury charge. According to court records, the charge stems from a sworn statement he made in January.

Court records show that he gave a statement to a magistrate claiming that he was assaulted by James Taylor on the Downtown Mall on Jan. 22 while trying to gather signatures for his petition to get Wes Bellamy removed from the Charlottesville City Council.

Taylor said when he refused to sign the petition, Kessler punched him and Kessler was charged with assault. On Jan. 23, Kessler swore out an assault complaint against Taylor, writing that Taylor “grabbed the petition and my arm, violently shaking to separate the two.”

Kessler claimed Taylor screamed an obscenity while “making contact with his face to mine.” However, prosecutors said video of the altercation showed Kessler’s version of the story wasn’t true. The perjury charge is a class 5 felony and carries a possible sentence of one to ten years in prison and up to a $2,500 fine.